


Work Till you Drop

by KikiTwinTai2



Series: Family is the best cure [3]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22335568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KikiTwinTai2/pseuds/KikiTwinTai2
Summary: Being sick is no excuse to miss class. At least, that's what Emil tells himself. Luckily he has Lukas and Matthias to take care of him.
Series: Family is the best cure [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607725
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	Work Till you Drop

**Author's Note:**

> Don't try this at home, kids. This is a mashup of personal experiences, and it's not fun. It does make for great plot bunnies, though.

Emil startled himself awake with a sneeze. He lay there for a moment, dazed, before his body was racked with another succession of sneezes, forcing him to sit up to avoid falling out of bed.

It was a bad idea, as the movement made his head spin nauseatingly, the room tilting around him.

Not good. Swinging his legs out of bed, he sat on the edge until the room stopped spinning. Once he was relatively convinced he wasn’t going to pass out, he set his feet on the ground, standing up slowly. The room swayed slowly as he moved, but he stared fixedly at the ground, trying to ignore it.

He had far too much to do to be sick.

He got dressed slowly, trying to ignore the deep aching of his muscles and the thousand needles stabbing the inside of his throat.

Breakfast was not an appealing prospect, but he forced himself to eat a few mouthfuls anyway, knowing it would be far worse not to. A note on the fridge in Matthias’ cheerful handwriting told him that both he and Lukas would be out until late tonight, reminding him to eat and drink and to have fun.

All Emil really wanted to do today was go straight back to bed, but that was unlikely.

He took the usual bus into town, trying to drown out the rest of the world with his headphones. It worked, somewhat, and he felt almost normal as the bus pulled up to the college and he got out, blending in to the hundreds of students making their way in.

Thankfully, this early in the morning, it was relatively quiet, and the lecture theatre soon filled with sleepy students and the sounds of paper rustling as supplies were taken out and sorted.

Emil found a seat near the back and sat down, setting his bag down at his feet and opening it. He took his notebook and pen out on autopilot, staring forward at the podium and wishing desperately for the lecture to be over already.

The lecturer eventually started, droning on about economics and market systems, or something. At least, Emil was pretty sure that was what it was, but his head felt so full of fog that the lecture could have been on leprechauns for all he knew.

Finally, they were dismissed. He swept his things back into his bag, getting up shakily. His stomach churned with hunger, but he felt so sick that he was sure he wouldn’t be able to manage anything.

_I just have to make it to the cafeteria. Then I can sit down, and I’ll be fine again._

At the moment, though, that seemed miles away. As he walked, the corridor began to turn a strange shade of purple, then green, shifting between colours like a broken disco light. His ears rang, the sound of voices blurring and muffling, sounding like they were coming from underwater or a tunnel. His vision blurred, breath shortening as he felt his heartbeat speed up to a dizzying pace, turning his skin clammy and cold.

Something in his brain was telling him to sit down, but his thoughts were being steadily drowned out by a buzzing noise that seemed to be coming from inside his ear.

He managed to make it outside, a blast of cold air hitting him as soon as he got through the doors. He raised his head, eyes trained on the bus stop ahead of him.

_People must be staring at me. Move, body, move! Come one, just to the bus stop! Then you can relax!_

Heartbeat hammering, he barely made it a few steps. The next thing he knew he was on the floor, surrounded by people he had never seen before.

Bits and pieces of sound filtered through to him, some loud and unbelievably close, others coming from far away.

“Is he ok?”

“Does he have anything with him?”

“Someone go and get a teacher, quick!”

 _No, don’t look at me, I’m fine_ , he struggled to say. But his mouth didn’t seem to want to coordinate with his brain, and he could do nothing but sit dumbly, trying to make the world stop spinning. He closed his eyes, shutting it out instead.

He felt a hand on his back, and flinched, twisting away. He opened his eyes, immediately regretting it as the light seemed to stab his eyes.

“I’m fine, really,” he managed to say this time.

“Just hold on, we’ve got an ambulance on the way,” someone said. He turned his head to see someone he vaguely recognised from one of his classes.

“Emil, right? Sorry, we had to look through your bag for your ID. Can you stand?”

Hands lifted him up, supporting him to one of the benches as easing him down. He tried to stand, only to be gently shoved down again.

“No, don’t move. Please, someone will be here soon. Don’t try and get up. Do you have any food with you?”

He shook his head. He had meant to, really, but he had felt so sick that morning that the prospect of food had made him very nearly throw up what little breakfast he had managed to eat.

He felt irrational tears prick at his eyelids, and blinked rapidly. His skin seemed to prickle all over, wracked with shivers and adding to the dizziness and nausea already sending waves throughout him.

It was easier not to think. He closed his eyes again, ignoring the world and retreating into himself.

The sound of sirens grew closer, stabbing his brain. Soon, there were more people surrounding him. A light was shone in his eyes, making him blink.

“Can you tell me your name?”

He answered the questions dutifully, just wishing he could be at home. He was led into the ambulance, absurdly grateful when the doors shut and he wasn’t surrounded by people.

The paramedics kept trying to talk to him during the ride, and he did his best to answer, feeling an irrational anger build as the drive continued.

It didn’t take long to reach the clinic, and he was soon sat in a small room, holding what looked like a grey cardboard hat that someone had pushed into his hands.

 _I’m not going to be sick,_ he thought. Looking around, he saw the room had the usual hospital bed, covered in scratchy white hospital paper.

He heaved himself onto it, curling up and shutting his eyes. Logically, he knew a doctor would surely be there soon, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. His brain was already shutting down, and he was far too tired to do anything other than let his eyes drift shut. The sounds of the department grew dim as he pulled his hood up over his head, shutting the world out.

He was awakened what seemed like moments later. He made a groan of protest, the movement making his stomach churn terribly. His body seemed to flush with heat, then go clammy. The bowl was thrust under his head a moment later, and he couldn’t hold back, throwing up his meagre breakfast. His stomach continued to cramp, despite having nothing left except bile that stung his throat and left him gasping for breath.

Tears flooded his vision, streaming down his face as he choked.

“It’s ok, sweetie, you’re ok, just breathe,” a nurse soothed. He couldn’t seem to breathe, spit and bile and tears running down his face and making his skin hot with sweat. His coat, so warm before, now seemed suffocating, and he desperately fumbled for the zip, trying to undo it with hands that couldn’t stop shaking.

The nurse gently moved them aside, undoing the zip and helping him remove his arms. She set the coat on a nearby chair, noticing the phone in the pocket and taking it out.

“Emil, yes?” she asked. “The paramedics had your student ID. I know you’re in college, but is there anyone we can call for you?”

He nodded, hiccupping as he tried to breathe. “My brother,” he gasped out. “I want my brother.”

“Ok, sweetie. Do you have his number in here? You can’t use your mobile here, but I can have the front desk call him for you.”

Emil nodded again, taking the phone from her and unlocking it, struggling to navigate through to his contacts with tears still streaming down his face. He held it out to the nurse shakily, who smiled at him, leaving the room to say something in a low voice before returning to his side.

“That’s great, someone will be in contact with him and hopefully he’ll be here soon. Now, I know it’s boring, but I need to run through a few checks, ok?”

He answered the questions again, absently watching as she filled in a sheet.

“Ok, darling, that’s all I need. A doctor will be here in just a bit, ok? I’ll get you a glass of water to rinse your mouth out.”

He gulped it down gratefully, not caring at the shocking cold that stung his teeth and throat. The nurse gave him a tissue to wipe his face with, and he twisted it in his hands, trying to calm his heartbeat.

He wanted his brother. He wanted to go home. He should never have gone to school in the first place, but then what if he had been at home, with no-one to help?

Now that he was awake, his thoughts seemed to be running faster than his brain could process, making him even dizzier.

He had no idea how much time had passed before the doctor entered the room.

“Now, what’s happening here?” they asked.

“College student, doctor,” the nurse answered. “Collapsed on campus, he has a high fever and has just vomited. He’s awake, but his blood sugar is very low and he’s probably dehydrated.”

“Ok, lets see here. Emil, yes? And my colleagues tell me your ID card says you’re 17?”

Emil looked up at the doctor, blinking tiredly. “Yeah.”

“Ok, so still a minor. Now, how long have you been feeling unwell?”

He struggled to remember. He hadn’t been feeling well yesterday, but he had put it down to the beginnings of a cold going around. He told the doctor that, his throat rasping as he spoke.

“Ok. That sounds like a pretty sore throat there. Have you taken any medication so far”?

He shook his head.

“Ok. Anyone at home with you this morning? A roommate, or family? Do you live on campus or at home?”

“Home,” he answered.

“That’s good. And who do you live with?”

“My brother and his boyfriend.”

“I see. And were they aware that you weren’t feeling well this morning?”

Emil shook his head. “They had work early. I woke up later, so they’d already left.”

“Ok. Have they been notified?” this was to the nurse, stationed at his side.

“Yes, doctor. The front desk should be on the phone to him now.”

“That’s good. Now, I just need to take your temperature and blood pressure, all the fun stuff, ok?”

Emil nodded, just wishing for it all to be over. His eyes kept closing, as much as he tried to stay awake.

“Ok, that’s us done. Are you with us, Emil?”

He opened his eyes again, struggling to stay awake. “uh-huh.” Now his nose seemed to be getting stuffy, making him sniff.

“I’ll let you sleep in just a minute, ok? I just need to run through this with you.”

He nodded.

“Ok. Well, the good news is, you’re going to be ok. This is just an aggravated cold. You haven’t had nearly enough to eat and drink, and that made your blood sugar drop a little bit too much. Have you been feeling shaky, sick, maybe even feeling like you’re drunk?”

Emil made a point of staying away from alcohol as much as possible, but he nodded.

“Everything went neon,” he said.

The doctor nodded. “Anything else? I know it can be hard to remember, but give it a try.”

Emil relayed it to him, saying that he had felt like the world was a disco ball.

The doctor nodded again. “Sounds like a mild panic attack. With your body trying to fight off infection, you need to make sure you’re getting enough food and drink. Where were you when you collapsed?”

“Outside. I was going to get the bus home,” he said. “I didn’t want anyone to stare.”

“Right. In that case, your body probably tried to make a rush of adrenaline in order to keep you going. You know the principle of flight, fright or fright, yes?”

He nodded again.

“Good. So, normally, you can keep going even with a cold, as long as you eat and drink enough to keep you powered up. If you don’t, not only does your body not have enough energy to keep going, but it tries to power you through with adrenaline, instead. Not a great reaction when you’re already running on empty. I suspect the panic came from being in a public place, yes?”

He nodded, feeling rather stupid now. He had always been shy when it came to being in public, but this had to be the worst.

“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly common. You weren’t in any danger, but your body doesn’t know that. I expect what happened is that your body tried to give you enough adrenaline to get you home, but your sense of being ‘trapped’ in public, coupled with your blood sugar falling, led to a collapse. Does that make sense?”

Another nod. “So, I was stupid, then.”

The doctor gave him a faux-stern glance. “Now, there’s no need to think like that. The human body is a very complex machine, and it doesn’t take much at all to upset the balance. It was probably a little embarrassing to collapse in public like that, but you aren’t to blame in the slightest.

‘Now, the good thing is, I’m going to recommend you rest for at least the rest of the week, all right? So no going to back to school in the next few days. I’ll write a note for you to give to your teachers as well, so you won’t get in any trouble for missing class. Does that sound alright to you?”

Emil nodded again, giving a weak smile as well. “Thank you. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

The doctor shook his head. “It’s no trouble at all. That’s what we’re here for, after all. Now, rest up, and your brother should be here for you soon. If you need anything, give one of us a call.”

“Ok. Thank you.”

The doctor smiled at him, scribbling something down on the clipboard, before standing and leaving the room. The nurse gave his arm a gentle squeeze, then left too, drawing the curtain around him as she went.

He was left in relative quiet. His stomach was calmer now, although he knew he should really have something to eat. The fatigue was washing over him again, though, and he curled up, thinking it would surely to ok to sleep for just a little bit longer.

“Lillebrør.”

The feeling of a cold hand on his forehead, coupled with the familiar voice, brought him back to temporary awareness. He opened his eyes to see his brother kneeling next to the bed, staring at him worriedly. Emil leaned in to the touch, tears springing to his eyes again. He struggled to sit up, clinging to Lukas tightly and sobbing.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he rasped, throat closing up with tears.

“Shh, lillebrør. It’s ok, it’s ok, we’re here now. Calm down, you’re all right.”

Lukas gentle voice worked wonders, and Emil eventually managed to get his breathing relatively under control.

“The doctor told us what happened. Man, you gave us a scare, getting’ a call to say you’d collapsed at school. What the heck were you thinking, tryin’ to go to school when you’re sick, huh?”

Lukas turned to fix Matthias with a truly deathly glare, making him take a step backwards.

“Shut. Up.”

He turned back to Emil, soothing the renewed sobs. He let the boy cry out in his arms, rocking him gently. Once the tears began to stop, he sat him back gently, grabbing a bag from Matthias and glaring at him again.

“Here, Emil. Drink this, slowly.” He held out a bottle to his brother, who took it distrustfully.

“Don’t look like that. The doctor told us you collapsed because you hadn’t had enough to eat or drink. He told us what to get you, so get that into you and we’ll get you home as soon as they say you can go.”

Emil did as he was told, scrunching his nose up a little as he drank. The liquid _did_ help to soothe his throat, though, and he finished it quickly, Lukas taking the empty bottle from him when he was done.

“Ah, good, you’re here. You are his guardians, I take it?” the doctor came back into the room, holding out a hand for Lukas to shake.

“Lukas, his brother. Is there anything I need to sign for to discharge him?” he asked.

“Here, and here.” The doctor held the clipboard out to him, and Lukas took it with the offered pen, signing his name on the lines and handing it back.

“Is there anything else?”

“No, that’s it. I’ve got a doctor’s note here for Emil to give to his tutors when he returns, and another for you if your employer requires it. Apart from that, make sure he gets plenty of rest and keeps his food and drink uptake up. But he’s fine for now, so you’re free to go whenever you’re ready.”

“Alright. Thank you very much for your care.” Lukas turned to help Emil into his coat, ignoring his protests when he did the zip and toggles up for him.

“I’m not a kid, Lukas,” he grumbled quietly, his face flushing even with the fever as he saw the doctor smiling at the sibling display.

“Well, that’s it on our end,” he said. “Emil has been a very good patient. Now, I would say to see you again, but in this line of work, that would be rather bad taste. So, I’ll simply say to stay safe, rest up, and hopefully you’ll be back to normal in no time. Will you be alright to get home? If you need it, we can call a taxi for you. No charge, we can have it diverted to us.”

“My partner drove us here, so we’re alright. Thank you very much for the offer, though,” Lukas said.

“That’s good to hear. Well, goodbye then.”

They shook hands again, Matthias offering them a grateful smile, then stood back to let them pass. He accepted the doctors notes from him, folding them and placing them in his pocket.

The cold air hit them again as they left the building, Lukas wrapping his scarf around Emil’s neck until he could barely breathe. They made it to the car, where Emil sank gratefully into the back seat and closed his eyes as Matthias slid into the drivers seat and started the engine, turning the heater on and flooding the car with warm air.

As soon as they got home, Lukas sent Emil upstairs, ordering him to go to bed. It was testament to how bad he was feeling that he barely protested at the babying treatment, changing into his pyjamas and sliding between the sheets with a sigh. Lukas came up a while later with a bowl of soup, urging him gently to finish it all and wait for a few minutes to settle down in case he was sick again.

Finally, though, Lukas deemed him alright, and let him lie down. He set the bowl down on the floor to take downstairs, then sat on the bed, running a hand through Emil’s pale hair.

“Now, lillebrør, go to sleep. We’re here if you need us, but you just need to rest. Don’t worry about anything for now.”

He pressed a kiss to Emil’s forehead, then got up quietly and shut the door behind him. Emil distantly heard him talking to Matthias in a low voice, then the two of them going downstairs again.

His closed his eyes again, trying to rest. It wasn’t long before he felt sleep washing over him again, and he let it overtake him gratefully.

Being ill was never fun, but at least for the next few days he could look forward to doing nothing. Even the prospect of being babied and pampered by his brother and Matthias didn’t seem so bad


End file.
